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Baby Gets Distracted while Breastfeeding

Lately my 2-month old seems to get very distracted and is always looking around while we're breastfeeding. He breaks his latch often and ends up taking in a lot of air, which seems to make him gassy and fussy as a result. What can I do to help him focus?

I would like to ask you a few more questions to help me to answer your question fully. Is your baby exclusively breastfed? Does he get distracted more at certain times of day? What is he like when he breastfeeds at night? Does he have any older siblings who might be distracting him with their play?

It may be that you need to breastfeed your baby in a quiet or even dimly lit room. Some babies are more distracted by the world around them; a sign that they are keen to start exploring! Some babies don't like to feed when they are in a noisy environment.

It's also important for mum to make sure she is not distracted herself, as this can make her baby distracted. I know from personal experience that, once breastfeeding is well-established, it can be tempting to start looking at your phone/ reading something etc whilst breastfeeding and some babies do find this distracts them. It also stops mum giving her baby as much eye contact.

Has this only happened recently? Do you feel that your latch is good and comfortable? I also wonder if there are any breastfeeding peer support groups near you who could just check your latch. If a baby is latched on properly then the seal is airtight.

Please do post back so that we can support you further with this.
Warm wishes,
LJ

He is exclusively breastfed, and seems to get the most distracted around late afternoon and early evening. At night, we breastfeed facing each other laying on our sides, and he is always very calm. No siblings yet, though.

You're probably right about me being distracted. Now that I'm more comfortable breastfeeding him, I know I've been trying to double task by working or catching up on phone calls at the same time.

My latch isn't uncomfortable, but I know sometimes I can get lazy and don't correct him if the latch isn't perfect because I figure it's "good enough". I do have a support group that I was going to at first when we were trying to establish breastfeeding, but I've lapsed and could probably use a refresher.

Congratulations on exclusively breastfeeding your son! Research now shows that breastmilk even contains stem cells and it has cancer fighting properties - it's wonderful stuff!

Many baby are less settled in the late afternoon/ early evening so I wonder if this is what it is with your son. It is very common for babies to cluster feed at this time of day. This is when a baby feeds more frequently (sometimes one feed is on top of the other) and may even come off and on the breast more frequently. It is really best to just 'go with this'. Some doctors believe that babies cluster feed because they are building up a supply in their tummies to help them have a longer sleep at night (compared to nap time).

I would also try to get the latch just right. I know it is easy for us mums to get distracted as our babies come out of the newborn stage! - but this will help your baby to feed properly.

I found that I went back to my breastfeeding support group as our breastfeeding journey changed/ if I had new questions - they really can give invaluable support

I hope all this helps you and it is a pleasure to support you. Please do post back if you have any further questions.

Oh my gosh, the cluster feeding sounds exactly like what he's doing! He eats every three hours or so in the morning, and then after about 3 p.m., he feeds almost every hour! I've noticed that recently after his last feed at bedtime, he doesn't need to eat again for another 5 to 6 hours, so the idea that he's stockpiling absolutely makes sense.